MERMAIDENS are a three-piece outfit from Wellington, New Zealand, who are renowned for their intricate and unique songwriting, boldly raw but increasingly refined studio production, and a hypnotic live synergy that leaves audiences enchanted. Drawing inspiration from bands like Warpaint, Fugazi, Exploded View and Sleater-Kinney, Mermaidens formed in 2013, having been friends in high school. Their entrance onto the NZ music scene was extremely strong following the releases of their widely acclaimed debut EP O in 2014 and subsequent album Undergrowth in 2016. Flying Nun Records release the band's first international album, Perfect Body. MERMAIDENS' sound offers a mesmerising dip into the realms of postpunk and psych, while the voices of Gussie Larkin and Lily West embrace warm harmonies and dreamy, hypnotic lyrics, entwined with dark and moody riff-based melodies, underpinned by Abe Hollingsworth's fluid and dynamic percussion. Perfect Body features many of the familiar characteristics of the MERMAIDENS' sound, with twinkly, reverb-laden guitar lines, rich vocal harmonies and vibrant drums. They have expanded on these sounds, bringing in even more dynamic elements, building richer melodic layers and a wider range of guitar textures, as they explore different levels of dissonance. Each song bursts with energy and variety, with contrasting light and dark, and they've left space for mellow and brooding instrumentals underpinning a powerful vocal melody.
